Apparatus for feeding cigarettes and other articles of similar shape



Sept. 28 1926.

W. E. MOLINS APPARATUS FOR FEEDING CIGARETTES AND OTHER ARTICLES 0FSIMILAR .SHAPE 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 25. 1924 R ven for: waitermala ns w. E. MOLINS APPARATUS FOR FEEDING CIGARETTES AND OTHER ARTICLESOF SIMILAR SI -IAPE Sept.

6 Sheets-Shet 2 Filed April 25. 1924 Fig.4.

52 06h Zor,'. waiters. 77204671 Sept. 28,1926.

w. 'E. MOLlNS APPARATUS FOR FEEDING CIGARETTES AND OTHER ARTICLES 0F.SIMILAR SHAPE Filed April 25. 1924 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Sept. 28', 1926.

w. E. MoLlNs APPARATUS r012 FEEDING CIGARETTES AND'OTHER ARTICLES 0FSIMILAR SHAPE- Filed April 25, 1924 6 sheets -Sheet 4 Fig. '12.

Sept. 28 1926. w. E. MOLINS APPARATUS FOR FEEDING CIGARETTES AND OTHERARTICLES OF SIMILAR SHAPE Filed April 25. 1924 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 'Sept'.28 1926. 1,601,257

w. E. MOLINS APPARATUS FOR FEEDING CIGARETTES AND OTHER ARTICLES OFSIMILAR SHAPE Filed April 25. 1924 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Fig-21;

Patented Sept. 28, 1926.

STAES WALTER EVERETT MOLINS, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING CIGARETTES AND OTHER ARTICLES 015 SIMILAR SHAPE.

Application filed April 25, 1924, Serial No.

This invention relates to apparatus for feeding cigarettes and otherarticles of similar shape of the kind wherein the articles are containedin a hopper or box, the bottom of which slopes downwards in the mannerof a funnel to an outlet provided with slots or grooves usually formedby thin blades or vanes, a plunger or other mechanism being provided forpushing the required number of articles out of the slots or grooves.

The invention has for its object to provide improved means for ensuringa regular and uninterrupted feed of cigarettes or articles to the slotswith the minimum amount of pressure on said articles, so that waste orbreakage, particularly in the case of cigarettes, is avoided.

Further, in the case of cigarettes, means may be provided forcompressing the cigarettes laterally and for feeding them in such amanner that one or more rows may con tain a less number of cigarettesthan the others. i a

The hopper is also constructed to give easy access to the slots in caseof jamming or obstruction.

According to the invention, a hopper, par ticnlarly adapted for dealingwith cigarettes is so formed that the sloping bottom can be vibrated tofeed the cigarettes into the slots formed by the vanes, the arrangementbeing preferably such that the vanes are also vibrated. Below the slotsformed by the vanes a machine bed is arranged and between the bed andthe slots, a pair of angle guides between which the cigarettes pass fromthe slots, is fitted. A conveyor such as is described in thespecification of British Letters Patent No. 13,956 of 1915 runs alongthe bed and carries away a number of rows of cigarettes from the guides,according to the height of the pusher pieces thereon. The pusher piecesare arranged to support the cigarettes in the guides while travellingbeneath same and automatic means such as a rising and falling table anda movable end support are also provided, co-operating with the pushersto ensure that the cigarettes fall substantially parallel and in goodorder.

709,069, and in Great Britain May 15. 1923.

If it isdesired to vary the number of cigarettes in any row or rows,means are pro vided for automatically inserting a member in one of theslots and lifting the cigarettes therein upwards a distance of one row,so that when the cigarettes reach the bed, there is a space at the endof one row.

To enable the invention to be fully understood, it will now be describedby reference to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a View ofan apparatus constructed according to one form of the invention, thefront plate of the hopper being removed.

Fig. 2 is a view in longitudinal section of the vanes and lower portionof the hopper shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of a portion of a modified form of hopper.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are views of details of various modifications.

Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 10 are schematic enlargements, illustrating themethods of packing diii'erent numbers of cigarettes. Figs. 11 and 12 arefragmentary views depicting the bending or flexing of the vanes. Fig. 13is a similar view showing the guide pieces and the operating cam. Fig.14 is a detail view of the arrangement for arresting certain cigarettesin the packaging of the same. Figs. 15, 16, 17 and 19 are detail viewsof the conveyor guides and the related ciga rette-arresting mechanism.Fig. 18 is a View similar to Fig. 14 slightly modified. Figs. 20 and 21are fragmentary views of the vane arrangements, slightly modified. Fig.22 is a diagrammatic view of the plate, and its operating mechanism, forarranging the cigarettes. I

Referring to the apparatus shewn in 'Fig. 1The hopper comprises a backplate 1 (a similar front plate not being shewn) curved side plates 2adjustably mounted on studs 3 and a bottom consisting of two plates 4sloping towards the centre of the hopper and leaving a gap therebetween.The plates 4 are secured at their lower ends to brackets 12 on the frame13 and their upper ends are connected to links 10 which are oscillatedby operated by a cam 8 mounted on a .l.. T rotatably mounted in thecentre of the hopper. he rods 9 are guided by slots engaging studs 11 asshewn. The brackets 12 ma v be rigid as shewn. or made in the form ofhinges. A pair of battle plates hinged to a support 6 are mounted in thecentre of the hopper and are rocked aboutthe centre 14 by an eccentricpin 15 on the end of the shaft 7, working in guide blocks 16 secured tothe batlles. ihe space a between the lower ends of the plates 5 and thebottom plates e is determined by the rate of feeding required.

Beneath the gap between the plates 4 a series oi? thin vanes 18 areclamped in position by screwed roas 17, 17 and 17, distance collars 19being fitted between the vanes, forming a series of slots, the forwardand rear ends of the slots being closed by vertical bars 20.

The space between the vanes is SHfllCiGlli to enable cigarettes to passdown between the 'anes easily, but is too small to allow the possibilitoi jamming at the top.

Vith the above described arrangement, it the hopper be filled withcigarettes and the shaft 7 rotated, the baliie plates 5 will beoscillated and the plates 4: vibrated through the motion of the-cam 8.Since the plates l are secured to the member 13 of the vane frame thevanes will be bent: about the clamping rod 17. The cigarettes will becontinuall passed through the spaces a in the manner described in thespecification of ap plication for Letters Patent No. 274-126 of 1922 andwill pass down into-the slots formed between the vanes 18, as shown inFigs. 11 and 12. Since the forward and rear ends of the vane slots areclosed by the vertical bars 20, (Fig. 2) the cigarettes are undercontrol endwi'se.

In order to keep cigarettes at the top of the vanes in free movement anagitator is preferably provided comprising a plate 21 carried on links22, one link having a roller 2 thereon which engages a cam 2'1 on shaltAs the cam rotates the plate 21 swings rom side to side. Guide pieces 25forming a tunnel to the vane slots and pegs 26 for moving the'cigarettesare fitted to the plate :21, as shown in Fig. 13.

A pair of compressors 27 are provided beneath the bottom end of the vaneslots, comprising end pieces 27 mounted on slides mounted in guidebrackets 28.

V The end pieces 27 slide 911 the machine bed and the slides areactuated by cam 29 on shaft 7 through levers 30, links 31, 3:2 and 33,the links 33 carrying rollers si'wonan in slots the slides.

In some cases the com jressors may be rep we b tapered guides 36 asshown in -s. 3 and t. The cigarettes are earned awa from beneath thevane slots by a belt conveyor having pusher pieces 37 (one only beingshown) which pass through a slot 37 in the machine bed as shown.

In some cases, the pusher pieces may have shallow vertical slotstherein, the slots allo ving the pieces to pass through the vanes. Thisarrangement enables the vanes to be brought nearer to the machine bedwhich is an advantage in some cases.

To prevent the upper layers of cigarettes from falling alter a pusherpiece has-passed, a moving support (Fig. 2) is provided. This supportconsists of a blade 40 carried on a bent arm 38 pivoted to a swingingarm indicated in dotted lines. The rear portions ot'the compressorpieces 27 are shaped as shewn. The blade &0 is moved to follow themovement of the conveyor pusher piece closely and as it moves forward ittravels up the sloping portions of the pieces 27, which are in theclosed position, and passes under the cigarettes in the vanes (Fig. 2).

The con'ipressors then move outwards and the blade 40 descends'as ittravels backwards, the movement being such that the cigarettes aredeposited on the bed in good order.

An alternative arrangement for controlling the faliing of the cigarettesfrom the vane slots is shewn in Fig. In this figure it will beunderstood that the construction of the hopper and the vanes is similarto that above described with reference to Fig. l, but guides 36 are usedin place of the compressor pieces.

Arranged beneath the lower ends of the vane slots a platform i1 having acentral slot 41" in which moves the shank or web of the conveyor pieceST, and carried by a slide as which reciprocatcsvertically in the frameit under the action of a cam 1'14: suitably mounted and rotated andengaging a roller el-S mounted on the slide. The follower roller ofslide 42 is held against the cam b springs 46 as shown in Fig. 15.

li'ith this arrangement, as a conveyor piece passes through the hopperthe platform ti de.--:cends to he level of the machine bed and thecigarettes tall from the vane slots. The next conveyor piece passesthrough and over the platform J11. carrying the cigarettes away betweenthe guides 36 and the platform immediately During'the actual passage ofthe conveyor piece through the hopper the cigarettes in the vane slotsmay be supported partly by a plate 40 as previousl described withreference to p and partly by the overhanging end 3?- the conveyor piece(Fig. 5). It will be obvious that the plate it) can readilv be o eratedindependently or" the compressor pieces 2. shewn in Fig. d

It is sometimes desired to pack cigarettes in superposeu'rew'scontaining an odd nun ber of cigarettes. For exampletwenty cigarettesmay be packed in three rows, i. e. two rows of seven each and one row ofsix.

@ne method of accomplishing this method of packingis shewn in Fig, 6. j

On one side of the vanes a block 47, F ig. 14, is placed equal in heightto the diameter of a cigarette, thus preventing the cigarettes in thelast slot from falling to the level of the machine bed. The compressorpiece .27 on the same side is stepped to accommodate the block and thepusher piece 37 of the conveyor is shaped as indicated in dotted lines.The cigarettes are then pushed by the conveyor piece between suitableguides 36 having packing strips 48 corresponding with the block 47 sothat the cigarettes are carried forward in the desired grouping (Fig. 4)

A further method, designed to obtain a feed in the order for example, arow of seven cigarettes, a row of six, and then a row of seven orsimilar groups is shewn in Fig. 3.

Referring to Fig. 3, a roller arm 49 carrying a roller 51, controlled bya spring 50 is pivotally mounted on the slide 42, a guide 54 for theroller being fixed to the machine frame. Hinged to the arm 49 is acarriage 52 carrying a thin plate 53. The guides 36 and the conveyorpiece 37 are cut away in a suitable manner as in Figs; 15, 16 and 3 toallow the plate 53 to enter the cigarette space of the adjacent vaneslot.

in operation, the downward movement of the slide 42 causes the roller 51to move inwards by reason of the shape of the guide 54, the carriage 52moving over platform 41 and pushing the plate 53 in between the last twocigarettes in the adjacent vane slot as shewn in Fig. 3. This motioncontinues until the end of the carriage meets a stop 55 held by a stiffspring 56, when the carriage turns about its pivot in the lever 49causing the plate to tilt, pushing the column of cigarettes upwards inthe vane slot through a distance of one cigarette. A stop 57 on theslide 42 prevents any further turning and forces the carriage past thestop 55.

When the cigarettes reach the machine bed there is a space at the end ofthe row occupied by the plate 53. The upward movement of the slide 42causes the plate 53 to be withdrawn from the vane slot allowing a fullrow of cigarettes to pass througln In order to push the middle row ofthe group, which contains six cigarettes only, into a central position,the group after delivery from the vanes is moved by the conveyor betweenguides 36, one of which is fitted with a tapered strip 58 (Fig. 7). Thisstrip is arranged as-shewn and as the cigarettes move between the guidesthe middle row is centralized. The upper and lower rows then lock thesix cigarettes in position.

The pusher piece is shaped or slotted to clear the strip 58. I

It will be obvious that if it is desired to convey away a single row ofcigarettes only the platform 41 and the end support 40 herein describedmay be dispensed with, leaving the cigarettes to drop on the bed as thepusher pieces pass. In this case the distance between the ends of thevane slots and the bed is so adjusted that only a small space is leftand the cigarettes do not become disarranged in falling through so shorta distance.

A further method, enabling a row of six ci arettes to be sandwichedbetween two rows of seven, is illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9.

As shewn, a compartment 59 consisting of two pieces of the samethickness as the vane and extending along the sides of a cigarette,

corresponding to the vanes, is arranged on one side of the machine,below the ends of the vane slots. The forward ends of the compartment 59are secured to a pivoted bracket normally restingagainst a stop underthe action of a spring.

The action is as follows The cigarettes are fed down in rows of sevenand the compressors 27 27 move inwards. The compressor 27 is recessed sothat it squeezes the top and bottom row only. The end of'the compressorstroke is shewn in Fig. 9 and it will be seen that the cigarette in thecompartment 59 is isolated leaving six cigarettes in the middle row.

he conveyor pusher piece is shaped to suit the size and shape of thecompressed bunch. In the event of a jam, the compartment 59 yieldsagainst the spring above mentioned.

In Fig. 10, a method of grouping twentyfive cigarettes in four rows isshewn, the

rows, beginning at the top of the group, containing, six, six, seven,six, cigarettes respec tively.

In this arrangement, a block 60 is secured to the machine bed, causingthe bottom row to contain six cigarettes. The vane slot 61 feedscigarettes down upon the block 60, while six other vane slots feed downupon the bottom row of cigarettes. The compressors 27 27 move in asshewn by the chain lines and squeeze the row above the block 60 so thatseven cigarettes occupy a space equal to that occupied by six. Thecompressor piece 27 is shaped as shewn. The vanes forming the slot 61are of suflicient length to cutoff the upper two rows and so four rowsare swept away by the pusher piece 37 in the order required. In thiscase the cigarettes fall down in a loose condition laterally so that thework done by the compressor is mainly closing them. Thus the cigarettesunder the action of the compressors are not squeezed severely.

The front plate of the hopper may be fitted with a glass door to allowthe operator to see the cigarettes in motion and rendering access easyto clear jams.

The bars 20 may be connected together and hinged as shewn in Fig. 2 toenable a broken cigarette to be removed from a vane slot.

The lengths of the vanes may be varied and if desired they may bestationary. Or, again the vanes may be so mounted that some are vibratedand others are stationary.

For example, the vanes may be arranged fixed and vibrating alternately,giving a slot opening which increases and decreases as the vanesvibrate.

The various parts of the apparatus may be adjust-able and further theapparatus may be combined with cigarette and other packing machines ofvarious types.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare thatwhat I claim is 1. A hopper feeding apparatus which comprises incombination two plates spaced apart to term the discharge opening of thehopper, means for vibrating said plates, :1 battle operatively mountedwithin the hopper and disposed above said discharge opening, and meansfor vibrating said baffle.

2. A hopper feeding apparatus which comprises in combination two baseplates spaced apart so as to constitute the discharge opening of thehopper, means for vibratii'ig said plates, a baflle comprising twodownwardly diverging plates oper-atively mounted within the hopper so asto extend into close proximity to the said base plates and form a spaceabove the discharge opening, and means for vibrating said battle.

'3. A hopper feeding apparatus which comprises in combination, two baseplates spaced apart so as to constitute the discharge opening of thehopper, means for vibrating said plates, two downwardly diverging batiieplates pivotally mounted within the hopper so as to extend into closeproximity to the base plates and form a space above the dischargeopening, and means operativelv disposed between said battle plates forvibrating the same.

4. A hopper feeding apparatus which comprises in combination a basehaving a discharge opening formed therein, means for vibrating saidbase, a bafile mounted within the hopper and disposed above saidopening, means for vibrating said battle, a plurality of guide vanesdisposed beneath said opening, so as to constitute the discharge passagetheretrom, andmeans operatively connected to the base of the hopper forvibrating said vanes.

5. A hopper feeding apparatus. which comprises in combination a basehaving a discharge opening formed therein, means for vibrating saidbase, a baiiiemounted within the hopper and disposed above said opening,means for vibrating said bafile, a plurality of guide vanes disposedbeneath said opening so as to constitute discharge passages leadingtherefrom, means operatively connected to the base of the hopper forvibrating said vanes, and means for pcriodically arresting the movementof articles in said passages.

6. In a packing machine, a hopper, vanes operatively connected to saidhopper so as to constitute discharge passages leading therefrom, anendless conveyor movable beneath said passages and provided with pusherpieces thereon, means operatively connected to said conveyor forperiodically arresting the movement of articles in said vanes, andpressure mechanism operative to compress articles discharged from saiovanes upon said conveyor.

7. In a packing machine, a hopper, vanes operatively connected to saidhopper so as to constitute discharge passages leading therefrom, anendless conveyor movable beneath said passages and provided with pusherpieces thereon, a device oper-atively connected to said pusher piecesfor periodically arresting the movement of articles located between saidvanes as a pusher piece moves beneath the same, and a pressure mechanismfor compressing articles discharged from said vanes upon said conveyor,said pressure mechanism having beveled portions upon which the arrestingdevice is adapted to move.

8. A packing machine which comprises in combination a hopper, means fordelivering articles in rows therefrom, a conveyor for receiving the rowsof articles from said hopper, guide members for holding the said rows incorrect relationship upon said conveyor, and means operable by one ofsaid guide members for varying the number of articles in a row.

9. A packing machine which embodies in combination a hopper mechanismfor delivering articles in rows, and means for CO1]!- pressing apredetermined row of articles.

10. A packing machine which comprises in combination a hopper,aplurality of vanes operatively connected thereto, and adapted toconstitute discharge passages therefrom, a conveyor located beneath saidvanes, and laterally operating pressure mechanism operable beneath saidvanes to compress articles deposited upon said conveyor.

11.111 a packaging machine, a hopper having a vibratory bottom formedwith a discharge opening, means for vibrating the bottom, a battlearranged within the hopper above the bottom opening, means for agitatingthe baffle, a plurality of guide vanes arranged beneath the bottomopening and defining passages, means connecting the hopper bottom to thevanes for imparting vibratory motion thereto, an endless conveyormovable beneath the vanes, article engaging members on the conveyor, anda reciprocatory sustaining member movable beneath the passages formed bythe vanes following the v movement beneath the passage of each engagingmember.

12. In a packaging machine, a hopper having a vibratory bottom formedwith a discharge opening, means for vibrating the bottom, a battlearranged Within the hopper above the bottom opening, means for agitatingthe baffle, aplurality of guide vanes arranged beneath the bottomopening and defining passages, means connecting the hopper bottom to thevanes for imparting v5.- bratory movement thereto, and means forcollecting the articles delivered from the passages.

13. In a packaging machine, a hopper, vanes defining passages leadingtherefrom, an endless conveyor movable beneath the passages and havingarticle-engaging means thereon, a sustaining member movable beneath thevanes following the engaging means, and article pressing member forconfining the articles on the conveyor.

14. In a packaging machine, a hopper, vanes defining passages leadingtherefrom, an endless conveyor movable beneath the passages and havingarticle-engaging means thereon, a sustaining member movable beneath thevanes following the engaging means, and article pressing members for confining the articles on the conveyor, said pressing members havingbeveled portions upon which the engaging means operate.

WALTER EVERETT MOLINS.

